: . . . I skinned them with that cheap duct canvas
: purchased at the local fabric stores.

I hope your luck with that stuff is better than mine was. I kept my boat outside and the stuff rotted away in 7 years. That 'cheap' duck canvas from the fabric stores is roughly the same thickness as the denim in jeans. It weighs about 10 ounces per yard, and even on sale it is usually $3.50 to $5 a yard. For just a dollar or two more a yard you can get a more durable fabric for the next skin. You have a few years more before those will need reskinning, so that is plenty of time to shop around for good prices of polyester or nylon fabric. For example, right now Seattle Fabrics (http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html#poly ctd rs) has 4 ounce (200 denier) fabric which is already coated with a urethane, waterproof coating, for $4.99 a yard. They have a heavier7-ounce, 420-denier, coated packcloth (in blue only) for $5.30 a yard. You might pay a buck a yard more for the material, but since it is already coated you don't need to paint it. That saves you painting time and the cost of the paint. Or, use it as a base color and put your own paint on top for whatever design you wish. Similar offers on heavier materials pop up through the year from amny other sources. Keep an eye open for bargains for your next boat!

In the meantime, use your flashlight and check inside the boats every month or two so you can find the black spots and darker areas which will indicate mildew or mold is starting to grow. Any moisture trapped in the ends will be the first place this curse starts. You can treat those areas with a solution of borax and water (cheap and safe--find it in the laundry products aisle of the grocery store) to stretch the life of those skins for many more years. But eventually they will need to be replaced. At that time I hope you'll consider using a non-rotting synthetic. For the weight they are stronger, too, so you could replace the 10 ounce cotton with a 6 to 8 ounce synthetic.

You daughter's boat looks great. I hope the frame gets reskinned many times and the frame ends up a working heirloom for her children.

PGJ